Townleap

Cost of Living: Toronto vs Warsaw (2026)

Canada vs Poland — relocation comparison

Your passport:
Toronto
Warsaw
$1,659/mo
Rent

1BR centre

$1,224/mo
$24k/yr
Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$27k/yr
3 yr
PR path
5 yr
Freelance setup
Sole Proprietorship
  • VAT-free under €20k
  • 12% social
  • €800/yr accountant
WiseStripe
JDG
  • VAT-free under €47k
  • €450/yr accountant
WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRWarsaw is 26% cheaper on rent ($1,224/mo vs $1,659/mo). Canada gets you to permanent residency 2 years faster (3 vs 5 years). Both cities require a personal relationship with your winter coat.
Toronto and Warsaw are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin.
Household
Toronto
Metric
Warsaw
$722/mo
🛒
Living costs (no rent)
lower is better
$681/mo
$5,350
🧳
Cost to land
lower is better
$4,950
81 / 100
🛡️
Settler safety
higher is better
81 / 100
2.3 / 100k
🔒
Homicides
lower is better
0.7 / 100k
4.7 / 100k
🚗
Road deaths
lower is better
6.5 / 100k
56 / 100
🚨
Safety Index
higher is better
75 / 100
75°F
☀️
Summer high
personal taste
73°F
21°F
❄️
Winter low
personal taste
25°F
125 Mbps
Internet speed
higher is better
109 Mbps
10.6 μg/m³
🌬️
Air quality (PM2.5)
lower is better
22.3 μg/m³
88 / 100
🏥
Healthcare
higher is better
73 / 100
8.7 / 10
🗳️
Democracy
higher is better
7.4 / 10
8.5 / 9
🤝
Migrant acceptance
higher is better
4.2 / 9
78 / 100
🏳️‍🌈
Rainbow Index
higher is better
18 / 100
100/100
🗣️
Street English
higher is better
68/100
$65k
💼
GDP per capita (PPP)
higher is better
$51k
2.4% · Boringly steady
📈
Inflation
lower is better
3.8% · Boringly steady
92/100 — Reliable
Grid reliability
higher is better
65/100 — Patchy
97/100
🗽
Freedom House
higher is better
82/100
A median Software Engineer in Toronto takes home $5,739/mo under Standard employee. In Warsaw: $5,190/mo under Standard employee.
$548/mo more in Toronto
Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.
$98k
💰
Gross income
$108k
−$26k
🏛️
Income tax
Standard employee
−$23k
−$3k
🛡️
Social contributions
−$23k
$69k/yr
$6k/mo
💵
Take-home pay
$62k/yr
$5k/mo
−$44k
🏠
Cost of living
−$35k
$24k/yr
🐖
Annual savings
$27k/yr
Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated April 2026

💰
Cost of Living
Warsaw
$435/mo cheaper on rent alone
🔒
Safety
Warsaw
0.7 homicides per 100k
🗳️
Democracy
Toronto
8.7/10 EIU index
📋
Residency
Toronto
PR in 3 years

Sun

How much sky you actually get

52% clear
Win
Spr
Sum
Fall
Sky clear
avg daytime
44% clear
Win
Spr
Sum
Fall
8.9h
Shortest day
Dec
7.7h
15.4h
Longest day
Jun
16.8h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

declining
Democracy trend
improving
improving
Inflation trend
improving
fintechaihealthcaremedia
Industries
software-itfinancegame-devbpo
hub
Startup ecosystem
active
Easy
🇺🇸 Your visa
Moderate
Moderate
EU visa
Easy
Complex
RU visa
Moderate
Moderate
UA visa
Easy
Partner can work immediately
Spouse works
Partner can work immediately
Recognized (1+ yr)
common-law partner / conjoint de fait
Partner pathway
Not recognized
konkubinat (informal — no legal recognition)

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request
Abortion access
Life-threatening only

No legal gestational limit. Fully decriminalized since 1988.

Near-total ban since 2021. Only permitted for life/health threat or rape/incest. One of Europe's most restrictive.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal
Marriage
Not recognized
Joint adoption
Adoption
Not allowed
Yes
Job protection
Yes
Yes
Hate crime law
No

Toronto vs Warsaw — Common Questions

Is Toronto cheaper than Warsaw?

Warsaw is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1224/month there vs $1659/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Toronto or Warsaw?

Warsaw is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Toronto has a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 and Warsaw has 0.68 per 100,000.

Should I move to Toronto or Warsaw?

Toronto and Warsaw are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Toronto or Warsaw?

Toronto: Canada Express Entry (complex process, Permanent residence). Warsaw: Poland Temporary Residence (moderate requirements, Up to 3 years). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Can I live in Toronto or Warsaw without speaking the local language?

Toronto is easier for street-level English (100/100) than Warsaw (68/100). That's the score that matters for doctors, landlords, and bureaucracy. Office English can still run higher than street English in both cities.

What's the cost of rent in Toronto vs Warsaw?

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1224/month in Warsaw, $1659/month in Toronto (Numbeo). That's 26% cheaper rent in Warsaw.

Is Toronto or Warsaw better for democracy and rule of law?

Toronto scores 8.7/10 on the EIU Democracy Index vs 7.4/10 for Warsaw. That puts it in 'full democracy' territory — free press, independent courts, the works.

Is healthcare better in Toronto or Warsaw?

Toronto scores higher on our composite healthcare index (88/100 vs 73/100 for Warsaw). That score combines clinical outcomes (IHME), universal coverage (WHO), and resident perception (Numbeo) — not just whether hospitals exist but whether the system actually works for settlers.

Plot twist: other matchups exist

Maybe the real city was the comparisons we made along the way.

Let the algorithm judge you

2 min quiz — surprisingly accurate

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